Sunday's letters: D.O.s and M.D.s

To the editor: Some folks don’t consider a D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine) equal to an M.D. (doctor of medicine). The following will clarify your thinking:

To the editor: Some folks don’t consider a D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine) equal to an M.D. (doctor of medicine). The following will clarify your thinking:Both D.O.s and M.D.s typically have a four-year undergraduate degree prior to medical training.Both D.O.s and M.D.s have spent four years in medical education.Both take the MCAT and are subject to a rigorous application process.D.O.s, like M.D.s, choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine, and both complete a residency program from three to seven years. Some D.O.s complete the same residency programs as their M.D. counterparts. Both must pass a state licensing exam to practice medicine.D.O.s perform surgery, deliver babies, treat patients, prescribe meds and work in the same settings as M.D.s, using the same tools, treatments and technologies of medicine. D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system, made up of the muscles and bones, and they treat the whole body rather than treat specific symptoms/illness. They also use osteopathic manipulative treatment in their practice.There are outstanding M.D.s and D.O.s, and bad ones, also. I happen to have an outstanding D.O.John BrandtEtowah

To the editor: Letters have a 200-word limit, so I can’t list all the reasons there are to vote for Army vet Guri Andermann for Hendersonville City Council (see her Facebook page), just this one: She’s — mind-bogglingly — the only candidate who thinks keeping a dog tied up for its entire life is something that should be against the law.Please don’t start talking about your mother’s poodle. This is about the dogs that freeze to death, or die of thirst next to an upside-down water bowl, or who have their collars embedded in their necks or are strangled by their chains.A lot of us — alas, not the other City Council candidates — know these dogs. We live across the street from them or drive by them every day, maybe fill their bowls if we can. We’ve called Animal Control to have them rescued and have eventually given up trying (without an anti-chaining law, the police are chained, too)On Oct. 8, there’s something else we can do: Vote for Guri Andermann (and Ron Stephens for mayor).For Tank, wherever you are, if you’re still alive: Hang in there, help may be on the way.Mike and Lois GrimmHendersonville

To the editor: I recently received a N.C. combined vehicle registration renewal from the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles. On the enclosed envelope, it stated: “Our customers and the environment are #1 with us! This envelope helps conserve our natural resources and save money by making one envelope do the work of two!”It also suggests paying by the Internet, mail or in person.I went online to renew my registration and proceeded along, thinking I was paying my renewal and vehicle tax. Instead, I ended up at car-registration.org, paying for an “easy guide,” a downloadable document that costs about $16.That document told me to go to the DMV website and follow the instructions — which I could have done for free!There are places on the site stating that this is an independent, third-party “application assistance.” How misleading!Primarily, this letter is a warning to read the fine print and carefully scrutinize the links you click. The correct web address for the state DMV is www.ncdot.gov/dmv.Kate Stockman

Hendersonville

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